This invention relates to liquid separation. In one of its aspects this invention relates to the distillation of a liquid mixture. In another of its aspects this invention relates to the stripping of a liquid from a two component mixture using a third liquid as stripping, refluxing, and heat transfer medium. In another of its aspects this invention relates to the regeneration of a glycol dehydrating agent. In still another aspect of the invention it relates to a process for removing water from natural gas using a glycol desiccant.
To avoid condensation or hydrate formation during pipeline transmission or during gas processing of natural gas, it is the usual process to remove water from the natural gas. One of the most widely used methods for removing water from natural gas is absorption with a glycol. Glycol absorption systems are, however, subject to such problems as (1) wasteful use of stripping gas in the process of regenerating glycol by the removal of water, (2) high energy requirements in applicable processes for removing water from the glycol, (3) disposal of water removed in the stripping process, and (4) generally poor stripping efficiency.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a method for regenerating glycol by stripping water therefrom which has both improved stripping efficiency and lower energy requirements than processes prevalent in the art. It is also an object of this invention to provide a system for regenerating glycol that conserves the use of stripping gas. It is another object of this invention to provide a method for stripping water from a glycol which results in easy disposal of the water removed. it is also an object of this invention to provide a general method for separating two liquid components from a mixture thereof using a third liquid which is essentially immiscible with at least one of the components of the mixture as a stripping, refluxing, and heat transfer medium.
Other aspects, objects, and the various advantages of this invention will become apparent upon reading the specification, studying the drawing, and reading the appended claims.